This presidential debate was one to remember. Trump and Hillary battled it out one on one for the first time, and the outcomes were not surprising. Overall, Hillary was more composed and better prepared than Trump. Trump was strong during the first thirty minutes, but quickly fell apart in the second half.
It was clear that Hillary had practiced ever since she stepped on the stage. She was composed and clear with her strategies and plan for the country's future. She held it together when Trump attacked her legitimacy and policies, and sounded like a true politician.
Trump, on the other hand, was clearly unprepared for the debate. He rambled into unrelated topics and was vague when answering foreign policy questions. Trump had a difficult time controlling his emotions and frequently interrupted Hillary while she was speaking. His facial expressions said it all, he can't control himself when he is under a stressful situation.
Additionally, Hillary attacked Trump in the perfect way possible. She questioned his lack of tax returns, and got the kind of answers she was looking for. He didn't respond strategically and it made him look untrustworthy and inconsiderate. Trump ultimately admitted to supporting the housing crash and the underpayment of his employees. If he was better prepared, he may have been able to better respond to the attacks from Clinton.
Although Trump wasn't prepared for many of the questions he was asked, he was very strong on policy discussions about trade. He attacked the NAFTA trade agreement and Hillary's support of it. It was clear that he knew what he was talking about and his policy was clear and well thought out.
Hillary was very clear on her policy plans, but at times she sounded too scripted. She sounded unnatural especially when talking about race relations. You could tell she was slightly uncomfortable and was trying hard to be uncontroversial. Overall though, this didn't effect her overall performance during the debate.
Trump did a good job at avoiding or redirecting questions to his advantage throughout the debate, but at times he fell flat. When asked about stop and frisk, Trump's only response was that the country needs "law and order". He continued to repeat that phrase because he didn't have a clear response for the question posed.
Furthermore, Clinton was questioned about her usage of a private email service, and she handled herself with great control when responding. She was able to own up to her mistake and apologize directly to the American people. Trump did catch her at a weak spot though when he questioned her decision to post her plans to attack ISIS on her presidential website. Although Clinton did respond accordingly, she didn't have a well constructed rebuttal for his claim.
Overall, Clinton came out on top. Her remarkable control and temperament was remarkably better than Trump's. She was able to answer every policy question that came her way, and respectfully defend herself against claims made by Trump. Trump was strong in the beginning, but by the end of the debate, it was clear that he had lost all control. Now the only question that remains, is how will the debate effect polls and Americans' votes?
No comments:
Post a Comment